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Commonwealth of Sainte Genevieve
|+ ' |- |'Official Language''' || English |- |'Other Languages' || French (spoken by less than 1% of population) |- |'Capital' || Elizabethtown |- |'Largest City' || Gallitep |- |'Government' || Republic, Presidential System |- |'President' || Regan Shaw (since 1999) |- |'Area' || 477 sq. mi. |- |'Population' || 62,221 (2000 Census) 65,063 (2005 Estimate) |- |'Independence' || 1st January 1903, from Great Britain |- |'Currency' || Genevieve Pound (GEN£) |- |'National Motto' || "Per Ardua ad Astra" (Through Effort to the Stars) |} The Commonwealth of Sainte Genevieve is an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, about half-way between the northern coast of Scotland and the Faeroe Islands. Its current president is Regan Sara-Anne Shaw, and its population in 2000 was 62,221. Its coordinates are 60.05277778, -7.12527778 History Early Settlement (1632-1691) St. Genevieve’s recorded history begins in 1632. On 12th April, a group of 39 men, 34 women and 5 children set out to reach the island from England. Under the command of Captain Sebastian Newcomb, the small cargo ship–christened the Patience–reached the southern shores of the island on 30th April, and established a small seaside settlement called Catherine Town, named after Newcomb’s wife, who had died of a fever on the journey. Newcomb sent the Patience back to England with a crew of 11 men and 2 women, to send word to King Charles I of their successful arrival on the island. Within the next year, the Patience carried four more groups of settlers to the island, and the population grew to nearly 200. The 1630s and 1640s were a time of great prosperity for the islanders. On 30th April 1637, the fifth anniversary of the first arrival, Captain Newcomb ordered the Patience to be retired, and the wood from the ship was used to further build up the growing settlement of Catherine Town. It was also on this date that the island was officially given a name: King Charles Island. After the first year, the number of islanders continued to grow, albeit slowly, for the next decade. Once the Patience was demolished, and reliable transportation to and from England was no longer a likelihood, many of the newcomers to King Charles Island were Scots. The English and Scots were not without their differences, but quickly learned to coexist peacefully on the island. After King Charles I’s execution in 1649, the islanders quickly stopped using the official name, preferring to call it simply, “The Island.” The establishment of the Cromwellian government in England also ceased virtually all new English and Scottish settlers to the Island, and the population began a slow decline. The Island quickly rebounded, however, once the monarchy was restored in 1660. During the second half of the Seventeenth Century, the islanders outgrew the original settlement of Catherine Town. Several small groups began branching out, settling new towns along the eastern and western shores, as well as the interior of the Island. Captain Sebastian Newcomb died on 1st May 1662, one day after the 30th anniversary of his arrival. On 22nd October 1688, John Mahy, the last surviving member of the original 1632 landing party, died at age 67. By the late 1680s, the Island had grown to include 5 settlements–Catherine Town, Corway (est. 1648), Kes (1655), Hartchester (1663) and Elizabethtown (1670)–and a population nearing 600. The harsh winter of 1690/1691, however, left behind devastation that virtually destroyed the Island. Crop failures that summer had led to a lean harvest in the fall. The early onset of winter cost many islanders their lives (over three-fourths of the population died), and those that survived returned to the mainland. By July 1691, the entire island was completely evacuated. The "Lost Years" (1691-1710) The 19 years between the English abandonment and resettlement are somewhat of a mystery. An English ship called Steadfast docked in Catherine Town Harbor on 17th March 1691, and took the those islanders that had survived the winter back to safety in England. Some time between 1693 and 1698, three ships from Norway arrived on the island and explored the eastern coastline. It was then that the southeastern portion of the island was named New Sweden. Around 1700, a group of Scottish sailors landed on the south coast, naming that area Glasgow. On 3rd January 1705, forty-three Frenchmen landed on the island, intending to wait out the harsh seas around them. They named the island île de Sainte-Genevieve, after the patron saint of Paris, whose feast day is observed on 3rd January. The sailors left by May 1705, but the name stuck. Second British Rule Rule (1710-1837) Limited Self-Rule (1837-1903) Early Commonwealth (1903-1939) World War II (1939-1945) Post-WWII (1945-1975) Modern Sainte Genevieve (1975-Present) Geography The Commonwealth covers 477 square miles of land. Demographics |- |+'Historical Population' |- ! Year !! Population |- |1903 || 36,401 |- |1910 || 38,199 |- |1920 || 40,682 |- |1930 || 44,401 |- |1940 || 47,138 |- |1950 || 49,495 |- |1960 || 51,690 |- |1970 || 52,599 |- |1980 || 55,585 |- |1990 || 58,508 |- |2000 || 62,221 |- |2005 (est) || 65,063 |- |} In the Census of 2000, there were 62,221 people living in the Commonwealth, a modest increase over the 1990 figure of 58,508. 98.8% of residents native-born citizens of the Island. Sainte Genevieve's population is projected to reach 100,000 by 2060. The largest ethnic groups in the Commonwealth are: English/Welsh, Irish/Scot, French and Swede. Politics The Commonwealth Congress is made up of two major political parties: the Commonwealth Progressive Party and the Labour Party. Currently, the 52nd Commonwealth Congress has a Progressive majority, with 15 Progressives versus 12 Labourers in the Senate, and 48 Progressives versus 33 Labourers in the Assembly. Executive Powers The executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the President, directly elected by the people to a four-year term. The current President is Progressive Regan Shaw, elected in 1999 and again in 2003. Legislative Powers The legislative power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Commonwealth Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the 27-member Commonwealth Senate (Upper House), with 3 Senators alloted each province; and the 81-member Representative Assembly (Lower House), with Representatives alloted by population. Judicial Powers The judicial power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Supreme Commonwealth Court. The seven-member court is charged with interpreting the laws enacted by the Commonwealth Congress. Smaller, federal courts are directly under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, and other provincial courts are responsible to their respective provinces. Subnational Entities Provinces National Park In 1961, a 1,080-acre area of land in southern Gaines West, was set aside by the Commonwealth Government and established the Sainte Genevieve Nature Preserve and Park. The park is administered wholly by the Commonwealth Government, and is not considered a part of Gaines West. The park includes the peak of Mount Teresa, Sainte Genevieve's highest mountain, and is just a 10-minute drive from Elizabethtown. Military The Sainte Genevieve Unified Armed Forces (SGUAF) is the military body of the Commonwealth. There are approximately 600 members in the armed forces, which include an army corps and a navy corps. Membership is voluntary, and new recruits must be between the ages of 20 and 40. Economy The Commonwealth is a low income tax economy. Offshore baking, manufacturing and tourism form key sectors of the Commonwealth's economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-tech companies and financial institutions to relocate to the Commonwealth has expanded employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of gross domestic product (GDP). Banking and other services now contribute the great bulk of GDP. Trade takes place mostly with Iceland and Ireland. Education Elementary and Secondary Education Elementary and secondary education in Sainte Genevieve is the responsibility of the individual provinces, and varies slightly in each. In the northern provinces (Capital Province, Gaines East, Gaines West, Outland and Queens Landing), students must begin school by September 1st in the year of their fifth birthday, and complete 13 years of compulsory education. In the southern provinces (Glasgow, Haverstaff, New Sweden and Rekentha), students begin school by September 1st in the year of their sixth birthday, and complete 12 years of compuslory education. Although children in the southern provinces are not required to complete a year of kindergarten, the vast majority of them do, and the policy in the northern provinces in becoming standard throughout the country. A few private schools also operate in Sainte Genevieve, most of them run by the Roman Catholic Church. Homeschooling was illegal from 1908 to 1982, but very few families have chosen to homeschool their children. The Department of Education estimates less than 50 children in Sainte Genevieve are homeschooled. Higher Education For a country with just 62,000 residents, Sainte Genevieve has several choices for students seeking higher education. * The Sainte Genevieve University College System (often referred to as the "U.C.") is the national university of Sainte Genevieve. With its headquarters in Elizabethtown, the U.C. system has branch campuses in Corway, Kes and Hartchester; as well as smaller, "satellite" campuses in Vona and Derna. These campuses are often referred to as "U.C.-Corway," "U.C.-Kes," etc. * The Jesuit University of Sainte Genevieve is completely run by the Society of Jesus, and is located in Gallitep. "Jesuit U" also offers many distance-learning programs available to students in other parts of the country. Jesuit U is one of two private colleges in Sainte Genevieve. * Elemspur College is a public, four-year community college that offers mostly technical and trade degrees, but has greatly increased its offerings in the past decade, mostly due to the administration's desire to attain university status. * The University of Gallitep is the oldest university in Sainte Genevieve. Established in 1805, "U of G" is a private college affiliated with the Anglican Church of Sainte Genevieve. U of G has more undergradaute students than any other school in the country. The abundance of high-quality education has attracted students from all across the world to study in Sainte Genevieve, and it is no longer uncommon to see a college campus with Australian, Irish, Portuguese, Italian or Russian students. International Relations Sainte Genevieve, like most former British colonies, has maintained relatively good relations with Great Britain. It has, however, completely distanced itself from the Crown, severing all formal connections upon achieving its sovereignty in 1903. Sainte Genevieve is not a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor does it recognize Queen Elizabeth II as chief of state, ceremonial or otherwise. Making the most of its central location, Sainte Genevieve's closest diplomatic allies are Iceland and Ireland. Sainte Genevieve also recently entered into an agreement with Australia, promoting an international student exchange between the Jesuit University of Sainte Genevieve and Flinders University in Adelaide. Tensions with the U.K. have been temporarily strained several times in the recent past. In 1995, president Darrin R. Sullivan expressed support for Irish republicans during the Irish reunification debate. The Genevievan government also disagreed with the joint U.S.-U.K. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Sainte Genevieve has been invited to join the European Union, but has twice declined, stating that "the people and government of Sainte Genevieve do not wish to give up the sovereignty and political freedom their ancestors worked for 250 years to achieve." Religion According to the 2000 Census: * Roman Catholicism :: 40.4% * Mainline Christianity :: 14.4% * Judaism :: 8.5% * Christianity-No Denomination :: 7.7% * Baptist Convention :: 7.4% * Charismatic Christianity :: 2.8% * Islam :: 1.9% * Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism :: 1.7% * Protestant Christianity-Other :: 1.6% * Other / New Religions :: 1.0% * Mormon Church :: 0.2% * No Religion :: 12.4% In 1997, the Supreme Commonwealth Court determined that, for statistical purposes, the Mormon Church was not a Christian religion, and as such has been listed as a separate religious faith since the 2000 Census. Culture National Holidays The following dates are recognized as official holidays by the Commonwealth Congress. Media The Commonwealth is served by two daily newspapers, The Gallitep Chronicle (circulates throughout Capital Province, Gaines East, Gaines West, Outland and Queens Landing) and The Elemspur Daily Advocate (circulates throughout Capital Province, Glasgow, Haverstaff, New Sweden and Rekentha). Two television networks feature original programming, as well as broadcasts from American and British TV. An increasing number of Genevievan households now have access to satellite television, providing them with international programming as well. Sainte Genevieve also has eight radio stations, ranging in focus from popular music to newstalk to classical and folk music. Language Of the 62,221 people counted in the 2000 census, * English only was spoken in the home by 60,815 (97.7%) people * English and some other language was spoken in the home by 913 (1.5%) people ** 551 spoke both English and French ** 340 spoke both English and Irish ** 22 spoke both English and some other language * Some other language only was spoken in the home by 493 (0.8%) people ** 367 spoke only French ** 88 spoke only Irish ** 38 spoke only some other language Miscellaneous Facts Distances from Sainte Genevieve to various major cities: * Glasgow, Scotland: 310 miles * Dublin, Ireland: 470 miles * Reykjavik, Iceland: 560 miles * Oslo, Norway: 610 miles * London, England: 650 miles * Paris, France: 860 miles * New York, United States: 3,080 miles * Toronto, Canada: 3,110 miles * Los Angeles, United States: 4,870 miles * Tokyo, Japan: 5,570 miles * Cape Town, South Africa: 6,630 miles * Sydney, Australia: 10,370 miles Category:Nearly Real World